Hurt You Bad
by Turtleface Productions
Summary: This fanfiction idea just came to me while I was listening to The Script's "The man who can't be moved" and for the longest time I debated whether I should publish Finally my lovely roomfriends convinced me to put it I do not own New Girl or any of it's This is just a one shot and most of it is Nick talking to himself, so it may sound a bit (By Ilea)
1. Chapter 1

Nick stormed out of the loft to the park across the street. He paced in front of a park bench for a while, mumbling angrily to himself. Eventually he managed to calm down enough to sit. He had an intense turtle face permanently etched across his face; he was a proverbial time bomb due to explode at any moment.

A concerned young mother approached the disgruntled man cautiously. She spoke gently, making sure not to upset him, "Excuse me, sir, are you alright?"

Nick barely even registered the question. He glared at the trees all around him.

"Sir?" The woman's voice was laced with fear. Nick looked up at her, his expression softening slightly as his eyes met hers.

"I'm fine, I just got into a fight with my room-friend." He bellowed, then went back to sulking.

The woman started to walk back toward the playground, but stopped and sat slowly beside Nick on the park bench. "I'm not a therapist or anything, but sometimes talking to an unrelated third party helps."

Nick buried his face in his hands and let out a muffled reply, "It's personal."

"Alright. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Just as the stranger was getting up to leave, Nick let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know how it came to this." The woman looked startled, but re-settled herself on the bench and gestured for him to continue. "I guess I should start from the beginning. She was my roommate to begin with. I didn't want a female roommate, having her in the apartment would just complicate things and cause unnecessary drama. I tried everything I could think of to convince my other two roommates not to let her stay, but none of us could resist her big doe eyes. Plus, she's so beautiful that she makes it hard not to fall for her. She's infuriating, quirky, patient, and just downright sexy. It was difficult not to think of her _in that way_, but after I saw her naked, it was all over. I could have taken her right then and there, and if I hadn't have had company that night I probably would have."

The woman glanced down at her watch, then over at her children playing on the swing set. She hadn't expected him to tell her his entire life story, she was just trying to be polite; now she was contemplating how to sneak away without him noticing and pitching another fit. While the woman was having her own internal struggle, Nick was too invested in his thoughts to pay any attention to what she was doing. "I guess I should have seen this coming. We fight constantly; we hardly ever seem to agree on anything. We're just too different. You know how people say they're two peas in a pod? Well, we're two completely different peas. Hell, I'm not even a pea, I'm more like a bean- and not the magical kind that grows beanstalks or gives you magical powers; I'm the kind that makes you fart." He shook his head sadly before continuing. "It never could have worked between us. Even as friends we never really clicked. Oh, who am I kidding? We were never friends. Friends don't get annoyed with each other every other day and get into regular shouting matches about stupid things to try and hide their evident feelings for each other. Everyone could tell what was going on between us; they could all see it."

The woman who was sitting with him a moment ago had used the opportunity of him arguing with himself to rejoin her children over by the swings. Nick turned to his new companion on the park bench, a middle aged man with his face buried in a newspaper. His mind didn't even register that it was a different person sitting beside him. "I guess things didn't really start going downhill until I kissed her. That was a huge mistake. What was I even thinking? She had a boyfriend, but I just... I couldn't control myself. Seeing her strut around in that blue bra of hers as we played True American, I'm surprised I was able to pull myself away when I did. Damn that kiss; if I hadn't have kissed her, I never would have hurt her. The minute I grabbed her arm, she started to fall for me. I know because she didn't pull away. She could have easily pushed me off of her or slapped me, but she didn't and it's my fault. She had to fall for a broken man like me. She could have had a happy life with Sam. She would have been better off marrying him, a doctor; at least he could have provided for her. She needs security. She needs a man who isn't afraid to tell her how he feels; someone who doesn't panic moonwalk away from a situation, no matter how terrifying it may be. She needs a sure thing. She needs someone like Russell- the Fancyman. Hell, I'll admit it, I wish I was him. He's a class act. I wouldn't mind seeing her with a guy like that. I ruined everything when I made her fall for me. I brought her down to my level. I'm immature and irrational. I can't handle a real relationship. The longest relationship I ever had was with a woman who used me. And now I've used Jess. I used her for my own selfish reasons. She used to be a mature and responsible woman capable of having an adult relationship, but I drove her to insanity. I made her insecure. I broke her. I just had to sleep with her. I had to know what sex with Jessica Day was like and it was incredible. It was pure, mind blowing passion. A wise man once told me that the best things in life happen when you're not thinking. Well, I wasn't thinking that night that I chased her down the hallway to the elevator and picked her up and carried her to my room. It was the greatest night of my life, sure, but after it was all over, I started thinking again. _Fuck, what have I done? We can't go back now. We've reached the point of no return._ But the crazy thing is I didn't care about all that. Watching her sleeping so peacefully in my bed, I didn't care about the repercussions. I fell in love with her and I didn't _want_ to go back." He leaned his head back and rested it against the back of the bench, closing his eyes. The man next to him had finished reading his paper and vacated his seat. A teenager was now sitting beside Nick with headphones in both ears, clearly not listening to him ramble on, but still Nicholas did not notice.

"For a while, I was over the moon with joy. Nothing could bring me down, until her father dropped in for a visit. She told me not to tell him about us, but I couldn't help myself. I've always wanted girls' fathers to accept me. I wanted him to see how much I love his daughter. I wanted his blessing; now I'm starting to understand why he wouldn't give it to me. Maybe he knew all along that I would hurt her. I wanted to call it. I was ready to give up on us. Maybe it's because I messed her up bad enough to distort her perceptions or maybe she really was in love with me. I wanted so badly to believe the latter, so I gave us another shot."

The teenager had left the bench and a large pigeon perched itself next to him. Nick glanced across the park and sighed. "Things were pretty great after that. We were both perfectly content with being together and not caring about what anyone thought. The whole loft was in agreement. We were really good together. The sex was fantastic. It was amazing.

"But then I did something terrible. It was the most awful thing anyone can do. I can't even believe I did that. It was moronic, inexcusable-unforgivable. I don't blame her if she never wants to talk to me again. I don't think I ever want to leave this park bench. I don't think I deserve to set foot in that loft ever again after what I did. I just," He suddenly got choked up. He tried to make the words come out, but they strangled him from inside his throat. He could feel hot tears forming in his eyes. He wasn't someone who usually cried in public, but he couldn't hold back. He swallowed a sob and buried his face in his hands, trying to hide his emotions.

"Oh God, Jess, I'm sorry! I was an idiot. I never wanted to hurt you. I never should have kissed you. I shouldn't have told you to prove that you had feelings for me. I shouldn't have carried you into my room that night. I shouldn't have made you fall in love with me. I shouldn't have uncalled it that night; maybe then we could have repaired whatever relationship we had left. I regret it all. I'm a fool. I just wanted you because I love you, Jess. I've always loved you." He was fully crying now, his chest heaving giant sobs that he tried to muffle with the sleeve of his red hoodie. He was so embedded in his own misery that he didn't even notice the woman sit down beside him. She was as light as a feather in her movements. She had tears in her eyes as she placed a small, pale hand on his back. He calmed himself down enough to look up at her and he could feel his heart shatter when he saw her big blue doe eyes. "Jess," he croaked.

Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. A tear rolled down her cheek. Nick started to reach up to brush it away, but he yanked his hand back, scolding himself. "I will never touch you again. I'm sorry, Jessica."

Jess grabbed his hand and pulled it close to her chest. She squeezed it three times before putting it up to her face to caress her cheek. He looked at her puzzled for a moment before she wrapped his arm around her shoulders and laid her head against his chest. He breathed in the sweet smell of her coconut conditioner and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. Neither of them spoke as they sat just like that on the park bench for an hour, maybe two. They didn't know what would happen when they got up, but they would figure it out together.


	2. Chapter 2

**I know a few of you were asking for more to this story and today an idea just blossomed so I decided why not? I'm going to continue this fanfic because it is fun to write! Just a heads up, I will write little precursors before each "chapter" to go with each one so without further ado...**

Earlier that day...  
Jess came home from work hoping to cuddle up next to Nick on the couch for a couple hours before he had to leave for his shift at the bar. She had just bought a box of pink wine and was looking forward to getting twirly when her beau cornered her in the kitchen with a strange question.  
"How was lunch, Jess?" His tone was light, but his expression was serious.  
"Um... Just like any other day I guess. Why?"  
"So you ate alone?" Nick pressed on.  
"Actually, I ran into an old friend from high school." Jess conceded.  
"And this friend, was it a man?"  
"What are you getting at, Nick?"  
"Did you or did you not have lunch with another man?!"  
"Nick, it was an old friend from high school, we were just catching up on old times, it's really nothing to worry about." Jess watched her boyfriend cautiously, her expression hardened.  
"Do you want to be with someone else, Jess? Is that it? I'm too much of a mess for you?"  
"Nick, what has gotten into you?!" Jess wailed as tears began to stream down her face.  
"If you don't want to be with me anymore you should just say it, Jess."  
Jess was incapable of assembling a coherent thought. She stood in front of Nick, bawling hysterically. Her bottom lip trembled and her mind appeared to be elsewhere.

Desperate to get her attention, Nick reached out to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Jess let out a yelp as he touched her, causing him to recoil. "Jessica!" He backed up a few steps, wincing. Jess watched him with a far off look in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jessica. I didn't mean... I only wanted to... Damnit." He ducked his head and stomped toward the front door. He gathered up his keys and exited the loft in a hurry.

* * *

Nick and Jess sit on the park bench silently, neither of them saying a word. After several long minutes, Jess finally speaks up. "You have to come home."  
Nick turns to Jess and looks at her with a forlorn expression.  
"Nick, you can't live in the park." She holds back a laugh, knowing for a fact that he is considering doing just that.  
"Jess, what I did was inexcusable, I can't live with myself knowing what I did to you."  
"You didn't do anything to me. You didn't hurt me, Nicolas."  
Nick frowned deeply, "But... when I grabbed your shoulders..."  
"I was surprised; I was caught up in what happened earlier today and I forgot you were standing in front of me until you touched me so it startled me and that's why I seemed hurt."  
Nick stared down at his feet, staying quiet.  
"You have to come home, Nick." He looks up at her for a moment, eyes burning, then stares across the park at two nesting birds. "I need you." She places a hand on his knee, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Come on, take me home. I'm cold."  
Together they stand up from the park bench and walk back to the apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks ago...  
Schmidt came home to the quiet loft. Battered and beaten down, he didn't think his day could get much worse. He found Nick watching Sports Center with a cold beer and joined him, letting out a loud sigh as he deflated into the couch cushions.  
Nick barely reacted to his friend's expression. Schmidt sighed again, studying his roommate for a cue to let him vent. Finally Nick took the bait, "Something wrong, Schmidt?"  
Thankful for the opportunity, Schmidt started to unload. "I don't know what I'm doing, Nicholas. I feel hopelessly lost. I can't focus at work; all I can think about is Cece. My boss thinks I'm depressed and wants me to visit a therapist... She said something about morale. I just can't enjoy life anymore, you know?"  
Nick listened to Schmidt ramble on for a while, but then he started nodding off. He tried to shake himself awake, but he had been up all night with Jess and slowly began to succumb to a silent slumber. Schmidt took this to mean that Nick simply did not care about his problems. Disheartened, Schmidt stood and dragged himself to his room, face drooping like a sad puppy dog. "So much for bros before hoes," Schmidt grumbled to himself as he shut the door noisily.

As the days passed on, things only got worse for poor Schmidt. He agreed to commence weekly sessions with the company therapist, but seeing as the doctor just happened to be a beautiful Indian woman, it only seemed to make matters worse. On top of that, his best friend had all but cut him out of his life. Every time that Schmidt saw Nick, he always had Jess wrapped around him like a big blue-eyed parasite. One day, while he was walking passed a Subway restaurant on his lunch break, he noticed Jess fraternizing with a man who clearly was not Nick. Now, it was probably no big deal and telling Nick would only cause problems, but Schmidt couldn't ward off the devilish thought that crept into his brain.

"Nicholas!" Schmidt was red-faced and out of breath. He huffed as he bent forward in front of Nick, hands on his thighs, trying to catch his breath.  
"Whoa, where's the fire, buddy?" Nick reached out for Schmidt, but pulled back when Schmidt stood suddenly.  
"It's... About... Jess!" He managed to say.  
"What about her?" Nick said the words slowly, curious as to what would have Schmidt so worked up.  
"I saw her... At Subway..." Schmidt paused to wheeze, "Having lunch... With some guy." His breathing had calmed down now and he watched Nick's expression for a reaction.  
A lopsided smile formed across Nick's lips as he replied, "So?"  
Schmidt couldn't believe Nick's reaction at first. Why was he so confident? Were things really going that well between him and Jess? Maybe he was wrong to try and break them up, but he didn't get discouraged. "Nicholas," he persisted, dragging out each syllable of his roommate's name as he looked sympathetically up at his friend. "I didn't want to tell you, but we're friends and I had to, because I respect you," he paused for dramatic effect, "The look in her eyes said it all. I'm sorry."  
Nick's lopsided smile was gone and all the color drained from his face. His eyes fell to the floor and for a moment Schmidt felt remorse. "Are you... Okay?"  
Nick nodded, though he felt the room spinning around him.  
"Look man, I have to get back to work, but if you need me..."  
Nick waved Schmidt off and slunk toward the couch looking defeated.

* * *

As soon as Nick returns to the loft with Jess, she heads straight for her room without even acknowledging him or Winston, who is surfing the web on his laptop. Now Winston looks up to see Nick walking toward the living room glumly with his shoulders slumped forward. "I probably will regret asking, but what's wrong?"  
Nick shrugged, taking a seat in the easy chair across from Winston. "Jess and I had a fight."  
"You wanna talk about it?"  
Nick stared out the window, wondering if it would be completely insane to try stepping out on the ledge again. "I don't know, I'm still pretty shaken up about it..."  
Winston closes his laptop and claps his hands, drawing Nick's attention to him. "Come on, talk to Winnie."  
Nick sighs. "I don't want to go into detail right now, but I did something pretty bad. She says she's fine, but I can tell she's afraid of me. She's afraid of me Winston. ME. I really freaked her out. I don't know how to make things right."  
"Sounds to me like she just needs her space. I don't mean to sound cliche, but time heals all things." Winston says.  
"I guess you're right. I'm just afraid to give her too much space... I don't want this to be over. I want to fight for us." Nick continues.  
"So show her that. Prove that you can make this work."  
Nick shakes his head. "I'm trying, but ever since Schmidt told me that he saw her with some guy it's all I've been able to think about."  
Winston looks bemused. "Wait, what? When was this?"  
"Earlier today." Nick replies monotonously.  
"And Schmidt told you this?" Winston looks befuddled.  
"He said I deserve to know and he's right, if she's cheating I should know."  
Winston rubs his temples. "Nick, how long has Schmidt known you? He knows you overreact to things like this. He's trying to break you two up."  
Nick stares at Winston. "No, Schmidt wouldn't do that."  
"Really, Nick? Think about what you're saying. This is Schmidt we're talking about. We have a douchebag jar for him for crying out loud!"  
Anger begins to creep across Nick's face as realization hits him. "Oh my God. This is all Schmidt's fault. I'll kill him!"  
"Now Nick, I didn't tell you that so you could get angry at him. He's still your friend, so don't do anything irrational. What he did was uncalled for, but you have to look at it from his perspective."  
"Which is?" Nick says through gritted teeth, urging Winston to continue.  
"He's having a rough time. The love of his life won't return his calls, it's beginning to affect his professional life, and on top of that his best friend doesn't even have time for him anymore." Winston explains.  
"So you think he should get away with driving a wedge between Jess and I?" Nick looks disgruntled.  
"Not at all, I just think you should talk to him before you start planning your revenge."  
Nick nods "I agree. Thanks Winston, you're the best."  
"Naw man, I'm just the mediator." Winston winks and goes back to aimlessly surfing the internet.


End file.
